New brand for Ebbett Group in Tauranga

A deal has been struck between the Ebbett Group and Farmer Motor Group that will see Ebbett move the Hyundai brand to their current Holden premises on Cameron Rd in Tauranga.

Ebbett, one of New Zealand's largest dealership groups, sought to secure a prominent brand to headline the Tauranga site after GM announced its plan to discontinue new vehicle sales in this market later in the year.

The group's managing director, Ben van den Engel, said he was excited to bring Hyundai into the Ebbett Group.

"It's a strong brand with a terrific range and we feel it has great prospects in this region. Whilst we remain absolutely committed to a long-term relationship with Holden vehicles and our Holden customers in Tauranga, we had to invest in the future with another name above the door."

Farmer Motor Group managing director Mike Farmer said Hyundai was a great brand "but we felt we had too many other opportunities to pursue at the moment".

"That includes our fast-growing MG, Haval and Great Wall brands expanding to the Autovillage supersite in Hewletts Rd, development of a new paint and wheel shop and a number of other projects aimed at increasing service capacity and customer convenience."

The Ebbett Dealership, run by dealer principal Julian Clements, expects to start selling new Hyundai vehicles from July 1.